Mipcom celebrates its 40th edition this month, a milestone that comes at a challenging time for many of the global TV industry executives who are gathering in Cannes. The event, running October 21-24, takes place against a backdrop of inflationary pressures on TV budgets, challenged broadcaster finances, the aftermath of the Hollywood strikes and an ongoing evolution in consumer habits.
“Feedback from the industry has been, ‘We’ve never needed it more,’” says Lucy Smith, entertainment division director at Mipcom organiser RX France. “Yes, we know business is difficult, so Mipcom is the opportunity for the industry to meet in person and find new ways of working and forge new partnerships.”
After a booming post-Covid comeback edition in 2022, last year’s show took place after Hollywood’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes ended and mere days after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. On the eve of 2024’s content market, organisers were totting up attendance figures ahead of the same period last year, and expect to be on a par or surpass last year’s 11,000 accredited attendees from 100 countries.
“Everybody who should be there is there,” asserts Smith, citing “an uptick in buyers from Latin America and Asia”, and larger delegations from Spain, the official country of honour.
Practical resource
This year’s Mipcom conference programme has a two-fold aim: addressing the challenges facing the industry and trying to stay ahead with more future-oriented innovations, particularly around ways to monetise content. “We constantly ask ourselves, ‘How can we make sure that whatever we do delivers takeaways people can use to help with new business strategies, especially since times are so difficult?’” notes Smith.
Keynotes come from executives who will share how they have adapted to new technology and shifting audience behaviour, and how they are leveraging licensing deals on a more global scale. They include Dan Cohen, chief content licensing officer at Paramount and president of Republic Pictures, Tony Vinciquerra, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Andy Yeatman, CEO of Miraculous Corp.
Smith says Mipcom’s networking programme is curated to “give people tools they can use and help them to find new business partners”. The MIP Innovation Lab will focus on merging content creation with new technology, and includes an Applied AI Summit, a FAST & AVoD Summit, Streamers Talks and the new Connected TV Summit.
“Companies can no longer just come to Cannes with a catalogue and seek out buyers,” says Smith. “Today, it’s all about finding new partnerships.”
On the programming side, Beta Film’s big-budget medieval miniseries Rise Of The Raven is set to world premiere at the Palais. It epitomises the growing trend of European co‑productions — epic in both scale and storyline — based on strong IP that leverage financial incentives from multiple territories and include hand-picked talent from across the continent.
Major groups are shopping similar projects, such as Mediawan with Alexandre Dumas adaptation The Count Of Monte Cristo starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons; France tv distribution with 16th-century family saga The Huguenots from director Christopher Thompson; and Fremantle with Germany-Czech Republic fantasy epic Hagen. Other world premieres include Paramount’s CBS Studios-produced medical drama Watson, headlined by actor and producer Morris Chestnut, and RTVE’s royal Spanish saga Ena about Queen Victoria Eugenia.
“There is no other opportunity like this where the entire industry is in the same place at the same time,” says Smith. It will also be the only Cannes-based market left this year, after MipTV held its final edition in April ahead of the launch of MIP London in February 2025.
Amid strategic uncertainty affecting everyone from major studios to the smallest indies, organisers are hoping Mipcom can provide some stability and bring together top decision-makers to plot a way forward.
“The industry is resilient. Things have been changing over the past several years, and so markets like this have become even more important,” says Smith. “We know it’s a big investment for people so we do everything possible to make sure we put on the best market we can.”
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